Search the Community

Hi all I'm seeking input from the experts to answer an archaeological question about ancient gold recovery. As a geologist, I know the questions I'm asking don't have specific answers but I would value your collective experiences. I'm looking at a situation where gold is recovered from ephemeral streams and where mostly it will be the result of flash floods (and of course before metal detectors made life a bit easier). For those who have worked in these environments, I know the gold distribution can be a lot less predictable than in regular streams. My first question is how effectively gold is separated towards bedrock in such a setting. Can one strip off less prospective sediment and focus on specific bands the way one might in other settings? Secondly, what proportion of the gold will be in particulate form (fine flour and discrete nuggets) versus within composite cobbles with quartz and iron etc (I know primary geology will be a factor here, so assume the sources are numerous quartz veins with gold and associated sulphides). Last, whether anyone has found by detecting a quartz cobble or fragment in a defined stream bed (i.e. not at the base of slope or in gullies) containing gold that is not visible from the outside, and how rare this might be. Any thoughts, observations or questions for clarification will be most welcome. Thanks in advance for your time.

Can someone tell me how they find places to metal detect for old relics such as coins? Like specific websites, maps, etc.

The Chinese manufacturers are not only doing clones they're doing mash ups combining features of one model in the look of another. This one is pretty interesting, it looks like a GPZ, combined with a CTX 3030, combined with a normal VLF for functionality and coil design, and includes a full colour touch screen. I like the GPX 4500/5000 arm cuff on a GPZ body. 🙂 It truly is a shame they don't use their talents to make their own detectors, you would think with the clones they can pop out and the skills that they must have to do them they could sit down and build a detector of their own and start a genuine manufacturing company for detectors rather than using other companies ideas. One thing they did do right that Minelab could learn from is getting rid of the weak CTX coil ears and using the GPZ 7000 coil mounting ears on a CTX shaft.

I'm completely new to this hobby so I'm looking for used metal detectors to get started. I found a used White's Beach Hunter ID Metal Detector, but it's missing the rod to hold the coil with. I want to use this while snorkeling in the ocean. I have several questions: - Is this a good price for this metal detector? - Is it safe to use in saltwater? If so, how deep can you submerge it? - Is it okay that it is missing a rod? Would it still be easy to use for snorkeling? - What should I do to check it still works when I buy it?

For you in a town that has Bus Stop’s and you don’t stop to detect may be passing up treasure beyond your wildest dreams. My father in law got interest in detecting some years ago. His first words was where can I hunt. I told him when he hunts all the bus stops in San Antonio get back with me. He was hunting this one bus stop and moved over just a little beyond it near a clay drain pipe. He got a good signal and the detector said it’s a dollar. He dug down about 6” beside that clay pipe and out pops a 18 something silver dollar. That old boy who put that drain pipe in had to be the one who lost it. Sorry had it been yesterday I couldn’t remember the date. Another time I’d had ask him if he had hunted this major bus stop at this mall. Part of that bus stop was grass but bye the time he got to it the grass was gone . The area to hunt was around 25 X 12 . Later I ask how well did he do . He said he was getting so many signals he just sat on the ground and moving the coil around just holding onto the shaft. He told me he found other coins but had found a little over 13 dollars in Pennie’s. He found rings also around bus stops and I’ve found some myself. You would be surprised at what people lose around them. Just think how many bus stops you pass on the way to work each day. Chuck

We including me got our butts in the air over high gas prices but you can bitch all you want it’s not going away anytime soon. In the past I’ve done with less and I can Sam Hill do it again if the need be .You got to eat at home are wherever you at at the time. So that cost won’t be much different than at home. I know for me it would be less being my refrigerator is not 20 feet away. I can’t say I ever like staying in a tent but if that’s the only way I can go and do what I want then don’t stand in my way. Now days they make tent’s for trucks and back of cars. Heck you can get one that goes on top of one if you like. You sit at home saving that money and yes I know we need to save some for a rainy day but bye the time gas prices go down we may not be here anymore. I’d myself would be on the road now if my 99 year old mother didn’t need her 81 young and tender year old son to see about her. All I’m saying people is get out and enjoy life while you can because we don’t know what tomorrow brings! Maybe after a week you need a fresh coat of dirt check yourself in a motel for a night. I like seeing bumper stickers saying we spending our kids inheritance. Like me I want it to be a sad day for everybody when I go .haha I’m just again saying get out and enjoy life anyway you can but remember you may have to adjust to do it. Chuck

With the 1st big weekend of the year coming, many new eager Nugget Hunters are wanting to get out in the field. Some of you don’t have a seasoned Nugget Hunting friend to help you learn the ropes. Since my Field Staff and I offer detector training, we see the many mistakes some folks make. I’ll try to give some Field Knowledge and info to possibly help make your adventures more golden. Anyone who has good advice, please chime in. These are some of the items I recommend. I’ll mention detector technology type afterwards as my staff/I use different tools for the varying machines. Knee Pads - If running VLF detector, Knee pads and preferably ones with no metal. I’m at the point now that I personally don’t use them because I have pants that were designed to hold knee pads. I have Duluth brand but now there are many and including Military BDU pants with knee pad sleeves built into the knees. Footwear - Non Metal Boots or Hiking Shoes. This is especially needed if you swing a bigger powerful type detector (GPZ-7000, GPX-5000 or below). The new GPX-6000 is not as bad and some regular boots/shoes are OK, but you’ll learn how to walk without getting the feet to close. As for my preference of footwear, I have Danner Slip on non metal boots and Merrell Hikers. Magnet - Strong Rare Earth Super Magnet. This little tool is so important in fast recovery and or identification of targets. Many folks have no clue why we want a good strong magnet. I myself keep the magnet on my metal pick at all times. Non Metal Recovery Tool - Non metal Nugget Cup or Trowel/Scoop. If you swing VLF and trying to get the tiny dinks, I prefer the nugget cup. If looking for bigger gold or using bigger machines, the scoop/trowel is fine. Caution – You can’t use your bare hand on a VLF as the detector will respond to the minerals in your hand. Jewelry/Metal - Remove your rings and leave them home. If you wear a watch, get one with a non metal band or don’t wear one on the arm you use to swing the scoop across the coil. Pick - I like APEX brand as I get the rare earth super magnet on it and they come in different sizes/models. I’m a bit over 6’ tall so I prefer a little longer of a pick. 24”/30” are ideal for taller folks and especially if you run a deeper big machine. 18” handle is ideal for most folks swinging a VLF type detector and or if you prefer to carry the pick on your hip. Realize 24” handle length is hard to have on your hip as it gets caught up in your legs when walking. I wear the 24/30” picks on my back. Harness - I like the Doc’s Ultra Swingy Thingy and use it with all my Prospecting detectors. Not only does it allow me to carry my pick on back, but it has a bungee to help with the weight of your detector. As a bonus, it holds up my pants so I don’t get burnt on the plumber crack. Seems older guys pants don’t hold up as well as when we were younger. Trash Pouch - You’ll dig more trash than treasure so do your part and pack it out. No use in finding all those bullets and foil over/over and over each trip. Nugget Holder - Yes you should keep one on you at all times. I prefer plastic pill bottle, film container or scrotum pouch. Not a fan of glass vial as they can easily break. Also the glass will dull the gold. Swing Arm - There are a variety out there and the one off my GPZ-7000 goes with me at all times for many different detectors. The swing arm allows much better coil control and longer detecting hours with less fatigue. The SDC-2300 is a prime example of a detector that should have a swing arm. Same with GPZ-7000. Heck, even my Equinox with a larger coil is much easier and better to use when using a swing arm. Test Target - I like to use the size of test target for the expected size of gold I plan on finding at a particular site. Get a small #8 lead bird shot and tap it with a hammer to give a little flatness. Glue it to a plastic poker chip. If you are hunting in areas with bigger gold, then have said like size test pieces to bury and listen/tune the detector. Coils- If running VLF detectors I recommend you get the smallest coil possible for that detector for most areas. The smaller coil actually goes deeper and gives a cleaner signal response to small gold than the stock coil. There’s more smaller nuggets out there than bigger gold so keep the odds in your favor. If hunting for larger gold with VLF, the stock coil or even a larger coil is preferred. Don’t think you’ll get the depth of a PI with a bigger coil on your VLF in most gold type soils. PI’s rule the depth on larger gold. In tailing piles I actually prefer a VLF with good discrimination while running stock coil or even bigger coil. Todays newer PI and DVT detectors don’t have Iron ID, but hopefully things will soon change (come on Minelab – you can do it). If using PI or DVT, use the coil size for the terrain you are in. Yes there’s always exceptions. Spare Battery - Always have a Back Up Battery, always. Headphones - I highly recommend them for most areas I detect. Wind is a killer on deeper weaker and or smaller nugget sounds. Good headphones allows you to hear the detector much better. Location - For a beginner, don’t expect to find gold in unknown areas. Go where nuggets have been found with a detector. Never leave gold to find gold. As your nugget hunting skill progresses, then you can Prospect for new areas and ground. Spare Tire - Always keep one that holds air. Know where the jack is and how to use it. A few newer type trucks have a key that drops the spare. Know where the key is, know how to use the jack/change a spare. Phone - If swinging a bigger machine, your cell phone will give EMI to your detector. Try to keep it in the OFF position if possible. 1st Nugget - Take as many pictures as possible and soak in the moment. There is only 1 first and you want to remember forever. DP - Share your hunt experience with the rest of us here on Detector Prospector. As mentioned in a previous post, some of us Old Guard are fading away and we need some new young guns to keep the powder burning. Again, These tips/knowledge is just from my standpoint and always have exceptions. If something mentioned in this post gives you a better chance to find some gold and share a smile, then we are all winners. I look forward to reading from others who have tips for the newbies so chime in.

Do I need to say anything about this? Enjoy. Re: Treasure Classifieds - Someone has a question about your listing Reply| Today, 10:39 AM You Good morning John, I am okay with the Terms and Condition of sale as seen on the advert including Your Final asking Price as Stated.I have gone through the content of the advert once again am very satisfy.Payment will be made out via a Check which will be issue to you for the payment and pick up will be arrange after the Check is Fully Cleared by your Bank.I will not be able to come over to view it because i'm always busy at work but i believe that all the details of the advert are right and will want update about the Service History. You don't have to worry yourself about the shipment, My Shipper will take care of pick up as soon as you confirm the payment is Cleared by your Bank. let me know if there is any other miscellaneous payment like,the tax charges, etc that will be added to it.Transportation and maintenance cost will be added to the Total amount that will be issued on the Check. it will be used By My shipper who will be coming for the Pick Up at your location after your bank confirms cash available for use.My shipper is the one that will act on my behalf regards the documentation of the change of ownership so any signation will be sign by my shipper pick up and other all necessary detail information will be fill by shipper so don't worry yourself about the change of ownership documentation will be taken care by my shipper.Get Back to me with information listed below in order to make out the Check and payment will be issued and send via first class Mail Name to Be Write on The Check Address To Send the Check To so you receive and get it Deposited in your bank. Your Phone Numbers. Many Thanks. Daniel.

I want to know if "Deep Woods Off V Ticks", keep ticks off of you. Permethrin kills ticks but is Deep Woods Off V good enough to keep ticks off of you. There never use to be many ticks in northern Michigan. Now there everywhere.

I'd like to use my earbuds this summer in stead of warmer earphones. How do I pair them?

Gerry. Do you have a favorite discriminating VLF? Maybe one that goes the deepest for instance? Or one that discriminates the most accurately? I am seeking something that can search an extremely trashy area that my 7000 will not work in...unless I want to commit 10 years to the spot and dig every can shard 😄

Would like a little input. I just sold a New Nox800 and took a $60 loss.Because when I bought it in July 2021 thought I would be using it but turned out I was kinda busy and Sold it yesterday. But I was looking around and saw the Nokta Brand ,Never heard of them but after reading a tads I liked what I was reading about the Nokta Makro Anfibio. Seemed like the price was right and it seems that its built in Istanbul Turkey(Better then everything else made in Asia} I see that a New Nokta Legend Pro is out and Not sure if its better then the Nokta Makro Anfibio?But I feel that there might be a replacement soon with the Makro Anfibio since its a few years old and seems every metal detector company are upgrading their detectors much sooner.............JT

I am new to this forum and fairly new to prospecting in general, but I have jumped in with both feet though and I staked a claim nearby where I plan to do a lot of practicing. There are a lot of inside bend gravel bars in the area, and I am wondering if you can successfully detect for gold on bars mostly covered with large round boulders? Is this something that a Goldbug 2 would be capable of? Or would you want to go with an ATX Deepseeker 20" mono in a place like this? I am hoping to decide on what type of detector to buy and any input would be much appreciated. There is not a lot of bedrock in the area. The river was raging this winter and I'm hoping to scour the bars and river banks. I just don't know if this is the type of ground that is conducive to detecting. Thanks!!!

A friend of mine lost her gold ring playing softball. It was a family heirloom and she thinks it flew off when she threw a softball. We are sitting 2 weeks since the loss and the field has limited access so it’s unlikely that anyone has detected since the loss. We have a general idea of where on the field it was lost. I have a 600 and have only used it a few times in my yard. Are there any recommendations as to which program to run and tweaks that will allow me to cover the field quicker and hone in on a woman’s gold engagement-style ring? I also have a Fisher f2 and f44 with a lot of hours. So I guess the other question is would I be better off falling back on my f44? (But the Equinox is just so fun!) Thanks in advance, Dave

I've had an AT Gold now for about 12 months I guess, I swapped it for my QED PI machine as I never used it and the guy with the AT Gold never used it as it wasn't ideal for his soil conditions in Australia. Since getting the AT Gold I'd only ever fired it up a couple of times to test how it performs on some nuggets/shot pellets and to see how well it does on my coin test garden, other than that it's been hanging in my cupboard waiting for a day I need it. That day came as I wanted to buy a Detech Arrow coil and had to work out which detector to buy it for, it came down to the AT Gold or the Gold Bug Pro, seeing I have so many coils already for the Gold Bug Pro I decided I'd buy one for the AT Gold, both detectors perform equally well on small gold, and I've no idea how the AT Gold performs on coins as I've only got it's stock coil 5x8" coils which I guess performs similar to the 5x10" on the Gold Bug for coins at depth in my soil so I would assume it performs reasonably well. For this reason and that the Arrow coil is made for such a small range of detectors due to some manufacturers preventing aftermarket coils for their detectors the AT Gold seemed the best choice for me. So I've paid for my Arrow coil and it's in the process of being shipped at the moment so I thought I'd best dust off the AT Gold and learn how it behaves properly and get used to using it, however when I turned it on it went absolutely ballistic, the most crazy EMI I've ever seen a detector do, I noticed the battery meter was saying they were flat so I promptly turned it off and put new batteries in. This improved the situation somewhat, but in the top 3 sensitivities it was still very erratic, the higher the sensitivity the worse the EMI, I wasn't sure if this was normal as I'd given it so little use since getting it. Then I remembered I took a video of it in my coin garden when I first got it and to my surprise I was using it in the highest sensitivity and no EMI at all, so something was up, either there is a new source of EMI around or I've got a problem. I tried more batteries, I tried doing a factory reset by turning it on with the button held down until it does it's little blip noises indicating a reset, I tried cleaning the contacts on the coil cable with 99% pure Isopropyl alcohol and nothing changed it. I tried unplugging and plugging in the coil many times and making sure it was very secure. The exact symptoms were in frequency shift F1, F3 and F4 it was erratic even 4 notches off maximum gain, in F2 it was more stable and would work 2 bars off maximum gain. At 1 bar off maximum it would EMI false about every 10 to 20 seconds, and at maximum gain it would just go wild. So I drove to an area away from my house into the middle of nowhere and fired it up and although it improved slightly and with it in F2 with 2 bars off maximum gain it would still false about every 30 seconds and would just go nuts in maximum gain. I also noticed performance had dropped, I was sure when I got it I was able to detect a #9 lead pellet, albeit very close to the coil, now I was having trouble detecting a #4 lead pellet even touching the coil. I went home again and cleaned the contacts on the coil cable's connector and the control box again using significantly more alcohol in the hope it would help and it didn't. I decided to turn it on with the coil unplugged and see if the control box would behave and it did, flawless, maximum gain and no EMI so I didn't think it would be a faulty control box, I was sure it had to be my coil has gone bad or I have a problem with the connectors. I was going to just wait for the Detech Arrow to arrive and see if it worked then when I decided I'd give it another go at cleaning it, this time I used my electronics clean and lube, I use this stuff on my GPZ coils to keep their contacts clean as they often get dirty as I usually take a couple of coils with me when I go detecting and the one not used in the backpack gets dusty dirt on it. Anyway, a squirt of this stuff onto the coils cable pins and into the detectors plug socket and let it dry for a minute or two and then fired up the detector and EMI gone, maximum gain in F1, F2, F3 and F4 are now no longer a problem, even inside my house, even standing right next to the wifi router it is flawless. That's how I vaguely remembered it. I then tested some shotgun pellets on it and now it's picking up the #9 lead pellet again, and gets really good depth on the #4 pellet that was only just registering when it was playing up. This is the exact cleaner I used, I'm sure there are alternative products on the market as you can only buy this stuff at Jaycar in Australia and New Zealand. So if anyone has an AT Gold, Pro or Max that is behaving in a similar way don't write it off, or automatically assume it's a faulty coil, even if it works with your other coils as it maybe just a bad contact on the coil cable's pins, the AT detectors seem very susceptible to this problem from a dirty cable by the looks of it. This detector has never been in the water, and even the first owner rarely ever used it as it didn't work in his red Aussie soils and he had a GPX for that anyway and I'd only used it for an hour or so since getting it, so it was a pristine detector, when I got it it looked barely used, not even many scratches on the coil, yet still something caused the connector to be contaminated, maybe my greasy KFC fingers or something when I tested it, unlikely but you never know 🙂

I sure do!!! I'm probably spelling his name wrong but, Great Britain's Jim Fiveash built custom detector's that was among the first to successfully hunt in the coke, coal, & iron debris of the Thames River shoreline. His last three improved versions of The Red Heat XD 17s. Were sent to America. For myself & two friends. Jim was a brilliant mind, that was dying of cancer while completing our machines. It took Jim a long time to complete our three custom built detectors, they were improved version of his legendary XD-17. Jim died shortly after we received our machines. He never even got a full report of there amazing performance! These machines were way ahead of there time, with great depth, separation, lightening fast retune speed & telescoping rod deployment. I foolishly sold my Red Heat 17+ not truly considering the brilliant cutting edge technology, workmanship & shear artwork that Jim had poured his final days into. Making these machines for 3 American fans of his work. Somewhere in America, there is 3 very extra special Red Heat Detector's!!! I hope they're in good hands & still detecting relics!!! I don't even have a picture of them. RIP Jim!!!

Here is a story about a Museum that bought a previously found coin on eBay France! https://www.livescience.com/rare-charlemagne-coin-found?utm_source=notification

Recently I've lost my XP Mi-4 pinpointer, I took it away with me on holiday at Christmas and never ended up using it, now I can't find it for the life of me. I searched for hours yesterday going through everywhere I thought it might be. I've ripped my house apart looking for it so I can only assume I left it somewhere when I was away. So if anyone has seen a Mi-4 roaming the streets looking disheveled and homeless please contact me so I can try and make contact. Now, this prompted me to do something about it so I don't create anymore stays, in the hours I spent looking for my XP pinpointer I managed to find most of my other pinpointers that I don't often use, my main ones that I had within easy access were my Carrot AT (Favourite) and it's spare in case it dies, my F-Pulse and my TRX. The rest rarely if at all get used for anything and they were just purchases while I migrated my way up the food chain to the one I liked the most, the Carrot AT. In at attempt to remain more organised I've slapped together a Carrot holder, now I don't need to keep them hidden away in a drawer somewhere where anyone who opens the drawer may think I have a stash of various colours of adult toys. I'm no carpenter, in fact I'm useless at such endeavors but If I put my mind to something I can usually get there in the end. I just used scraps of wood I found around home and a lick of paint and it worked out OK, I'm never losing my Carrots again. I made a few extra spaces, one for the missing Mi-4 and another for the next new great Pin Pointer that's highly sensitive to small gold some manufacturer is going to release for me. In the mean time I'll fill one of the holes with my other TRX which I gave to my daughter as a toy as it's not very sensitive for some reason, it has some weird fault, I'll ask her if she wants to store it in my rack if she hasn't lost it or thrown it out when she gets home from school. I added a little bit on the side to store batteries as I'm always looking for them too 🙂 I just used a hole saw to cut the holes the right size to mount the Carrots, the F-Pulse being a more odd shape needed a slightly bigger hole and I put that little metal plate under there to support it's odd shape. Does the trick, no longer will I have to tear my house apart looking for missing Carrots.

TOP MINELAB EQUINOX MISTAKES (I know ‘em, cause I’ve made ‘em...) 1/ Not using cross sweep to determine how consistent a signal is. This results in a lot of elongated targets that sound good in one direction getting dug up. 2/ Not using pinpoint to determine how solid, what size and shape a target is also iron wide / narrow. Pinpoint can also tell you when the machine is responding to part of a larger object—like wire. The machine’s high Gain causes you to dig too many “flyspecks.” 3/ Not using the depth meter to get an idea of target size and location in the strata. The depth meter can help to correlate the other information you are getting to give a better idea of where and what size a target is. 4/ Sensitivity too high (targets don’t stand out), or small surface targets dominate the signal. Target tones become clipped sounding, machine loses depth. 5/ Bias too low (targets don’t stand out), dig alloys. 6/ Recovery speed too fast, targets don’t stand out. 7/ Using a large coil with too much sensitivity—targets don’t stand out from the larger detection field. 8/ Using a large coil with the recovery speed too fast—machine does not have time to process the information from the larger detection field. 9/ Large coil, black sand or high saline, (or fast salt) sensitivity too high --less depth than stock coil. cjc

I'm after some advice on the Target ID numbers for gold rings with the CTX, I've made my super awesome silver finder profile for my CTX for the NZ silver coins and it's absolutely working a treat, I can do lazy mans detecting and just walk along plucking silvers but my profile is missing gold rings obviously, it's just aimed at our NZ silvers, I was going to use it's second slot for discrimination pattern 2 to add the common range for gold rings in just in case I'm feeling adventurous and want to dig something other than silver coins. With the silver coins it was relatively easy to put their ranges in, but I really have no idea what numbers to look for with gold rings. I haven't really bothered to get used to the target ID's for the CTX at all as it's ID system has been so accurate I've just fine tuned it to pluck out silvers. If anyone has a basic idea of what number ranges I'd be needing to incorporate to add gold rings into it that'd be very handy. Even silver rings would be a nice addition although they might be picked up in my silver coins profile I would hope. Go easy on me, I'm rather new to the CTX, I do like my silver coins cherry picking settings that I've got going though, only because they've been working so well. It really helps with my mild relatively junk free soils so the CTX becomes the ultimate cherry picking detector.

I was recently using my 24K to detect in an old drywashing area littered with hematite hot rocks and it was quite difficult to gain any ground because they were plentiful and of all different sizes including pea sized in all the tailings and header piles. The ID numbers weren’t coming up when I did hit those so I started ignoring them where it didn’t show up and continued. This method worked as I was able to pick up small bits of lead that did have ID numbers. It was pretty slow going andI finally switched over to my 3500, but if there was any small gold present I might’ve missed it with that as well (at least I know there aren’t any larger nuggets there). I plan on going back there With my Vlf when I have more time. So I’m curious, what setting or technique do you do with a vlf when you encounter this situation? I tried lowering the sensitivity as low as five which helped a bit, but it was still overloading on some of the rocks. I lifted the coil off the ground as well when I did hit a target which seemed to help. I was also using my smallest coil already also (6-inch).

I found this content really useful...Especially If someone likes to dive with the machine and wants a short setup like me.......

I am currently using the Equinox almost exclusively with the 15" coil for fast coverage. I feel it does a great job for the type of hunting I do on ballfields and parks, and it is no slouch when it comes to finding really small items either. I really never use the 11" coil, but occasionally I will switch over to the 5x10 when overrun with signals. Seeing how the Deus II does with the 9" coil has me wondering if going with the 11" might somewhat negate the benefits of the Deus II.